Yemen has been hit by weeks of demonstrations Tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets in Yemen again as the country’s political crisis deepens.
In the capital, Sanaa, two rival demonstrations will be held – in support of and against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Representatives from the government and the opposition are reported to have met and agreed to avoid confrontation.
Protests in recent weeks have brought President Saleh’s 32-year-old rule to the verge of collapse.
He is under increasing pressure both at home and abroad to resign immediately.
The UK Foreign Office has urged Britons to leave Yemen as soon as possible, and warned of a “high possibility of violent demonstrations” on Friday.
A BBC correspondent in Sanaa says tens of thousands of demonstrators are marching in two different directions in the capital.
Anti-government protesters are moving towards the renamed “Change Square” near the university, while supporters of the president are gathering in the city’s Tahrir Square some 2km (1.2 miles) away.
President Saleh has offered to step down in 2012, but the opposition wants him to go now Our correspondent says only a political deal between the government and opposition will resolve this crisis, but for now all talks have stalled and neither side is willing to back down.
President Saleh has agreed to resign by January 2012, but the opposition is calling for his immediate departure.
Western diplomats in Sanaa say they are pushing for a transfer of power, our correspondent reports.
President Saleh, for many years, was an ally of the West and seen as vital in the war against terror and tackling the presence of al-Qaeda in the country. Mr Saleh says that without him al-Qaeda could still take over the country.
But, increasingly, many people both at home and abroad are viewing him as the main source of instability, our correspondent adds.
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